For the past weeks, Capitol Hill has been engulfed in political turmoil. A group of lawmakers from the House of Representatives has been stalling legislative sessions in a bid to oust Speaker Koffa.
Monrovia, October 30, 2024: Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has admonished lawmakers here to make laws, and not noise, amidst weeks of political crisis engineered by rebel lawmakers seeking to dethrone House Speaker Fonati Koffa.
In observance of her 86th birth anniversary on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, Mrs. Sirleaf said she was speaking out because “Silence makes us all culpable in wrongdoings.”
“It is time for our Legislature to make laws and not noise. It is time that our judiciary get on with settling cases and dispense justice without being compromised. It is time for the executive to speak,” the former president noted.
For the past weeks, Capitol Hill has been engulfed in political turmoil. A group of lawmakers from the House of Representatives has been stalling legislative sessions in a bid to oust Speaker Koffa.
The rebel lawmakers need 49 members to oust Koffa, but they are about 40, while 30 others continue to back Cllr. Koffa’s leadership.
He needs 37 representatives to conduct legislative sessions, but his bloc has been compelled to suspend sessions continuously due to a lack of this number.
While calling on the Executive to speak, Mrs. Sirleaf suggested using the power of exemplary behaviour.
“Some will ask, why this message now? It’s because time for us, time for Liberia, is running out. Why am I doing this? Because I’m a leader and because I care for the good of the country,” she noted.
“Silence makes us all culpable in wrongdoings. Wish me a happy 86th birthday,” she continued.
According to former President Sirleaf, her birthday message is not about her but about Liberia.
“It is about the country. Liberia is at a crossroads. Liberia’s story, historically, is one of cleavage,” she said.
She added that it is about the failure to assimilate, of political chicanery, and there’s still too much of it today.
Yet, with resilience, she noted that Liberia has overcome these setbacks and prevailed even in the worst of hard times.
Moreover, Mrs. Sirleaf noted, Liberia has survived two rigorous military rules, two decades of devastating wars, and a horrific disease, Ebola.
“But just think of the noteworthy parts of our history. We have provided support for the liberation efforts of other African countries. It has been fundamental to Africa’s sovereignty,” she explained.
The former president detailed that women have played a crucial role, citing Chief Suakoko as an example, a strong woman chief who fought to bring the first major investment to Liberia.
“We had the first African woman to head the United Nations General Assembly, Angie Brooks Randall. And I was elected democratically, the first woman president on the African continent,” said Mrs. Sirleaf.
“As we embark on another regime of promised political change, the stakes are high. We must respond because the world is changing.”
Mrs. Sirleaf disclosed that bilateral and multilateral relationships are repositioning, and the people will demand national self-reliance.
“We are proud that Africa is seen as the continent of the future, and several African countries are responding to this call with reimagined structures and systems to achieve their potential goals,” she noted.
According to former President Sirleaf, several are moving rapidly to claim the future, yet others, engulfed by recurring bad habits, are being left behind.
“Let’s face it. Liberia is one of those countries that will be left behind, even when compared with our closest neighbor, which no longer follows our limit,” Mrs. Sirleaf warned.
She indicated that it is time for reflection, to work, to stop stealing, for honesty, and to change minds and attitudes.
For the blessings of life, Mrs. Sirleaf thanked God as she clocked 86.
